London Broncos, now under the ownership of Darren Lockyer, have ambitious plans to rebuild the club, and their newest off-field recruit could be the most significant piece of business that club has ever done.
The Queensland legend has taken a 90% stake in the club, as he works alongside Aussie businessman Grant Weschel and Leeds Rhinos CEO Gary Hetherington, who will leave his role at AMT Headingley after 29 years.
After his acquisition of the club was confirmed last week, fittingly at the same time the Broncos announced their application to be part of the expanded Super League, Lockyer has given insight into what he hopes he can achieve with the club, and how he believes the Super League competition needs a strong London.
Speaking to Nine’s Wide World of Sport back in Australia, he was asked about his involvement in the club, and why London specifically as a place to invest.
He said: “I am one person who is part of a consortium that is looking at acquiring the London Broncos and hopefully getting them back into the Super League.
“It is a club that has had its ups and downs. At the moment they are in a position where they are struggling to stay alive. We are looking to put a heartbeat back into it.
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At the time of his announcement, the former halfback said: “To be a truly national competition and to grow the game’s exposure, finances and talent pool, the game should be represented in the nation’s capital, and the largest financial market in the world.
He has now backed this up with how he intends to build both a strong fanbase and a competitive squad for 2026 and beyond.
He said: “The stadium only hold 10,000, the one they’re currently playing out of, and there’s 170,000 Kiwis and Aussies in that area. So surely we could go attract a decent crowd out of that.”
Concerns have been raised since the go-ahead came for the expansion that the current competition already sees too many blowout scores and uncompetitive matches, and adding two more teams would make those types of matches more of a regular occurrence.
However, Lockyer believes that should squads become more even and the more talented players are spread out across the league, that is less likely to happen.
He said: “The risk or the negative that people raise is that does it dilute the competition. We’ll wait and see, but I think if you can distribute the talent across the teams, I don’t think it dilutes it.”
London Broncos owner praises “committed” head coach Jason Demetriou
Whilst Lockyer’s squad has been linked with superstar signings including Tom Trbojevic and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, no confirmation has yet been made as to which players will make the move to the capital. The coaching role, however, has already been decided, with former South Sydney Rabbitohs boss Jason Demetriou taking over in what will be his second stint in England, following a playing career based solely in the UK, most famously with Wakefield Trinity.
Signing a three-year deal with the club, the new owner believes Demetriou is the right man for the job, and can’t wait to take on the challenge.
“He’s committed,” said Lockyer. “Whether the Broncos are in the Super League or the Championship, he has committed.
“He is sitting there waiting for an opportunity, he is hungry. He has played in the Super League and coached in the Super League. We’re looking forward to that.”
Eric T Cat
September 21, 2025 at 11:49 am
Just add Hetherington for instant Super League, cut out that tedious grind of winning matches and achieving promotion through growth and development on and off the pitch, rather just add Hetherington and be granted instant protect Super League status! The only decisions this panel have to make are tea or coffee, what buscuits to have, and where to go for lunch. Why even bother meeting?